Websites are a necessity for businesses of all sizes today -- though, surprisingly almost half of small businesses don’t have websites. Still, there are so many design options to choose from and so many websites that it can be tough to know how to stand out.

Beyond layout and color scheme, there are a lot of features that are paramount to successful small-business websites. Some are obvious -- such as an easy-to-remember domain name, a logo and contact information -- and others are more subtle, like an online chat button or specific pattern for the content on the site’s inner pages. Thankfully, website design and marketing firm 99MediaLab offers pointers for an effective page from top to bottom, inside and out.